ArtsEmerson Presents World Premiere of ART's THE WHITE CARD

ArtsEmerson, Boston's leading presenter of contemporary world theatre, proudly presents the world premiere of American Repertory Theater's (A.R.T.)production of The White Card, written by acclaimed author, poet, and MacArthur Fellow Claudia Rankine. Directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus, The White Cardperforms February 24 through April 1, 2018 at the Emerson Paramount Center's Robert J. Orchard Stage, located at 559 Washington Street in downtown Boston.

In The White Card, a conversation at a dinner party thrown by an influential Manhattan couple for an up-and-coming artist raises questions about what-and who-is actually on display. Claudia Rankine's 2014 New York Times best-selling Citizen: An American Lyricunpacked the insidious ways in which racism manifests itself in everyday situations. Now, this world-premiere play poses the question, "Can American society progress if whiteness stays invisible?"

The White Card is commissioned by ArtsEmerson, Boston, MA, in association with American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA.

The White Card creative team includes dramaturgy by Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow P. Carl; scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez (Arrabal and Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education at A.R.T.); costume design by ESosa (O.P.C. and Father Comes Home from the War (Parts 1, 2 & 3) at A.R.T.); lighting design by Stephen Strawbridge(Richard II at A.R.T.); sound design by Will Pickens (M. Butterfly on Broadway); and projection design by Peter Nigrini (Arrabal and Witness Uganda at A.R.T.).

"It has been a great privilege to collaborate with Claudia on the creation of this world premiere production, which endeavors to move forward the conversation begun in Citizen: An American Lyric and her earlier works," says director Diane Paulus. "The White Card urges us to look beyond instances of violence, toward the too-often unnamed legacy that is their source."

"At ArtsEmerson," shares Artistic Director David Dower, "we believe that the arts have a central role to play in transforming the city's reputation and reality around race. This production is the culminating event of our two-year journey with Claudia-we commissioned the play as the result of her first visit after the release of Citizen. It was clear then that Claudia's insights on race, and on whiteness, in particular, were both electrifying and edifying in support of our commitment to advance racial equity in our city."

Dower continues, "ArtsEmerson's partnership with A.R.T. has been a particularly powerful development in the process of bringing The White Card to life. Our organizations share a commitment to community engagement and impact, and have been working on the questions of equity and access for some time. The collaborative set of activities around the play, including Citizen Read and post-show Act II programming, are intrinsic to the hopes we had in commissioning the work in the first place. Together, we are reaching wider and deeper than we could have on our own."

Citizen Read is a series of dynamic events activating a public dialogue on race and identity in America. Over 900 participants have enrolled to read Rankine's Citizen individually or with a book club, after which they will engage in one of more than eighty group conversations around the issues raised in the provocative meditation on race either with trained facilitators or independently, using curricula developed for the program. Act II events will engage The White Card audiences in facilitated discussions after each of the forty-two performances of the play.

By using Rankine's work as inspiration for reflection on race and identity and providing a framework and tools for conversation, audiences may, as Rankine puts it, "keep probing the stereotypes and expectations." Citizen Read and Act II conversations will utilize training developed by Dr. Stacy Blake-Beard, Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Professor of Women and Leadership and Sr. Faculty Affiliate, Center for Gender in Organizations, Simmons College.

The White Card Performance Dates and Times

Tuesdays - Sundays at 7:30PM

February 24, 25, 27, 28

March 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays at 2PM

March 3, 4, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 21, 24, 25, 31

April 1

ASL Interpreted Performance: Saturday, March 17 at 2PM

Audio Described Performance: Sunday, March 18 at 2PM

Student Matinee Performances: Wednesdays, March 7 and 28 at 11AM

Tickets from $25 are now on sale: by phone at 617.824.8400, in person at the Emerson Paramount Center Box Office (559 Washington Street, Boston), and online at artsemerson.org.

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